A side effect of this unsettling statistic is senior hunger: An astounding 4.8 million Americans over 60 -- more than double the number of those in 2001 -- are food insecure, according to a new report by Feeding America, a hunger-relief charity, and the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger. Shockingly, senior hunger has impacted "younger seniors" (60-69 year olds) more over the years: 65 percent of "food insecure seniors were below the age of 69" in 2011, NFESH reported.

HuffPost Live recently put a face to this epidemic in a conversation about food insecurity. Helen Wolfe of Detroit shared her heartbreaking story of trying to provide for her and her niece with a disability after losing the job she had for 18 years.

"I was in the auto industry in Detroit," Wolfe said. "I thought I had a job forever."